The Roanoke Valley CASA office, along with chapters all across the state and nationwide, is looking for a few good volunteers. All that’s required is having a heart for children who’ve had it hard.

CASA is a national initiative providing “Court Appointed Special Advocates.” Community Outreach Coordinator Kristin Tadlock Bell says these are people who speak up in the best interest of children in the juvenile court system.

On any given day, the state of Virginia is dealing with about 5,000 kids who’ve broken the law. Some are on probation or parole. Others are in community programs, but about 400 are locked up. Eighty percent of them end up committing new crimes within three years of being released. Now, lawmakers in Richmond will debate reforming the juvenile justice system by building two new detention centers.

One of the greatest challenges for children who are abused, neglected and at-risk is finding a path to help them recover and become healthy, happy and productive. In a way, that's also what Jo Anne Miller at Brook Hill Farm Horse Rescue has been doing for abandoned and abused horses. Miller, a certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, runs a program called United Neigh where at-risk youth age 12-18 work with the horses that, in turn, help the children.